Power-driven hammer



Jan. 14, 1930. w.w1TTE POWER DRIVEN HAMMER Filed od. 1e, 192s 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 14, 1930. I w. wlfrTE 1,743,840

l POWER vDRIVEN HAMMER Filed Oct. 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS l 5 INVENTOR Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATESPATENT oFFlcE i 51 were WILLIAM WITTE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVAN IA, ASSIGNOR TO JAS. H. MATTI-IEVI S &. COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL-l VANIA POWER-DRIVER' Application filed October 16, 1928. Serial No. 312,821.

My invention relates to improvements in power-driven hammers. I have developed it as an instrument for die-stamping lumber', and in such specific application I shall show and describe it. The objects in'view are simplicity of structure and adaptability to servive conditions, to the endl that lumber may be branded expeditiously, certainly, and effectively.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. I is a View in plan and Fig. II a view in longitudinal and axial section of the lumber-marking instrument of my invention. From Fig. I a certain shield plate has, for purposes of illustration, been omitted. Fig. III is a view to larger scale and in transverse section, on the plane indicated by the line III-III, Fig. II.

l/Vithin a barrel 1 a plunger 2 is reciprocable. A spring 3 within the barrel aords means for storing and delivering power to.

drive the plunger to do itsintended work. The barrel carries in axial alignment and mounted for axial reciprocation a branding die with elongated stem 4, enlarged head 41, and face 42 equipped with edged characters vin relief. The range of longitudinal movement of the die in its mounting 1n barrel 1 1sv limited.

tending rack 5, and the barrel is slotted longitudinally to afford access to and to guidethe rack.

A housing 6 is mounted rigidly upon the rotatably borne. This shaft is equipped with a crank 8 by which it may be turned manually, alternately in one direction or the other. A pinion 9 is borne by shaft 7 and it is movable upon the shaft both rotatably and in longitudinal direction. The shaft and the..

The plunger carries a longitudinally ex-l barrel, and within the housing a shaft 7 is' right-todeft range of longitudinal movement and with the blocks in engagementv over all the extent of their meeting faces. lVhen the parts are so situated, turning of the shaft in one direction causes the pinion to turn in unison with it, but turning in opposite direction (the rack 5 being at the time secure against longitudinal movement within the barrel) causesthe pinion to move from left to-right, longitudinally of the shaft, because of the wedging action of the surfaces which meet in the lines 15. The pinion 9, in the range of its longitudinal movement upon shaft 7 alternately engages rack 5 and passes beyond such engagement. A block 16 is so .65 situated that as the pinion moves from left to right, Fig. III, it enters between adjacent teeth of the pinion, and holds the pinion from turning, even after it has passed beyond engagement with rack 5. This left-to-right movement of the pinion 9 upon the shaft 7 is by the proportioning of the parts so limited that the clutch jaw 11 does not pass entirely beyond engagement with the clutch jaw 10.

There may'not then be any slipping of these 75 parts one past another.

A spring-backed latch 13. bearing upon the plunger, advances when the plunger 2 is retracted against. the tension of spring 3, into `a socket 17formed in the body of the plunger 80 to receive it, and, so advancing, locks the plunger in retracted position and holds the Aspring 3 under tension. The latch is pivoted ina recess in casing 6 and is so arranged that the pinion 9 in left-to-right advance (Figp85 III) engaging it, shifts it from its locking position.l

Figs. I and II show the instrument in inactive position. When in this position, ro-

tation of shaft 7 clockwise, as seen in Fig. II, 90 will cause retraction of plunger 2 and compression of spring 3. When the plunger `is thus brought to the limit of its intended range of retraction, the'springbacked latch 13 enters the socket provided for it, and locks 95 the plunger. The instrument then is set ready for action. l

The operator having so set the instrument brings it to'position with the face 42 of the die against the surface of the lumber, where the brand is to be imprinted. He then turns the crank counter-Clockwise. Fig. III shows the parts When the instrument is set. The turning of the crank in the direction last in- 5 dicated will, through the -Wedge surfaces upon blocks l0 and 11, and because the rackbearing plunger2 is `at the time 1lockedagainst longitudinal movement, shift the .pinion 9 from leftto right, and in this let-to-right 10 shifting of the pinion,twooonditions arosu'ocossi'vely brought about; nist, tho pinion passes beyond engagement With rack 5, and, second, the pinion, when so free of rack engagement, swings the `latch and withdraws it from engagement with the plunger. Thereupon the plunger, unrestrained and fully responsive to the tension of spring 3, is, under such tension, driven powerfully from left to right, Fig. II. It delivers its `blow upon the head 4l of the die and sink-s the characters Which the face 42 of the die carries, into 'the surface of the lumber, thus effecting Ythe branding desired. o

W'hen the crank is relieved of pressure the spring 12 will be effective to carry the pinion 9 back in righteto-le-ft direction and to bring it again into engagement with rack 5. The instrument then is ready for repeated operation.

I have described the invention in application to a lumber branding instrument'. Manifestly it is applicable to instruments generally in which the delivery of a single powerful hammer blow is desired.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a power-driven hammer the ycombination with a barrel, a plunger reciprocable Within the barrel, and means for power-fully driving the plunger Within the barrel, of a i v40 latch for the plunger, a rotatable shaft, means operated by shaft rotation in one direction for shifting the plunger Witliin'the barrel, and means operated by shaft rotation in opposite direction for shifting saidlatch.

A4.5 2. In a power-driven hammer vthe Combination with a barrel, a rack-equipped plunger reciprocable Within the barrel, and means for powerfully driving the plunger Within the barrel, of a latch for the plunger, a rotatable Y 750 shaft a rack-engaging pinion borne b y 'and Inova le on the shaft both longitudinally and circumferentially, blocks borne by shaft and pinion and engaging one another over cooperating rotation-iinparting surfaces and over other cooperating thrust-imparting surfaces,

and yielding means tending thold Athe pinion against longitudinal movement upon the shaft, the said latch being movable in responge to movement of the pinion longitudi- N nally of the shaft.

In testimony who-roof I 'have hereunto set m hand. y WILLIAM WITTE. 

